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Medical Marijuana & Me (M3) Data Sharing

View Databank Information | View Initial Data Request Submission Form | View Planned, Ongoing, and Completed Research Projects | View Scientific Oversight Committee List

The M3 data are available for sharing with researchers who seek to write papers or abstracts or otherwise conduct data analysis with the de-identified data. This page includes information about the content of the databank (survey questions, survey domains), the process to request data, a summary of proposed, ongoing, and completed projects, and a list of Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) members. The M3 databank also has a central administrative system with procedures for the review of proposals, avoid duplication of work, provide appropriate opportunities for authorship, and monitor the output (papers, abstracts, etc.)

People interested in possible research with the M3 databank should first review the study questionnaires and a summary of key domains [link coming soon]. For more specific information about the study variables, please see the data dictionary [link coming soon].

M3 Data Request Application Review and Approval Process

  1. Principal Investigators (PI) complete an initial online submission form to express their interest in using the M3 Data and provide their contact information, a tentative manuscript title, a clear research question they aim to address, and a list of co-investigators.
  2. A Consortium Application Administrator provides initial review to verify the fit of the applications and ensure no overlap between ongoing manuscripts.
  3. The consortium Application Administrator then contacts PIs with feasible research questions and invites them to submit the full application.
  4. The PI fills out the full Data Request Application (DRA), provided by the Application Administrator, and submits it for review. In the DRA, the PI provides the names of the PI and other coinvestigators and their institutions, the PI’s contact information, the specific aims of the proposed study, a detailed analysis plan, M3 requested variables, the data management protocol, and any scientific meetings or journals that they plan to submit abstracts and manuscripts to.

After these four steps are complete, the Application Administrator will then move the application for review by the Scientific Oversight Committee, contact the PI for additional information, or reject the submission. The Scientific Oversight Committee consists of 5 members from the University of Florida (UF) and 4-5 members from outside UF who must have appropriate expertise/experience with use of survey data and be willing to serve in the committee. Each application will be forwarded to five reviewers, including two from outside UF.

The committee will review the submitted applications as they are received based on the following:

A. Rigor of the study

B. Appropriateness of the data for the suggested purpose and

C. Potential overlap with other approved or planned studies

  1. To receive data, IRB approval is needed, and the investigator(s) will need to sign a confidential disclosure agreement.
  2. The Consortium Administrator will also track project progress over time- requesting updates every 6 months. The Consortium team will manage the communications, tracking process with PIs and Approved Users including progress reports at 6 and 12 months. The “lead M3 Investigator” will also be responsible for helping to ensure that submitted abstracts and/or manuscripts include appropriate acknowledgements, description of the consortium. The research team should also be willing to share any new variables that they create, along with the coding used to create the new variable, so we can “double check” to be sure things seem to be done correctly. 

View Data Sharing Process Summary